Cartier In Motion opens in London

Parisian jeweller teams up with architect Norman Foster to create an exhibition celebrating craftsmanship and style.

By Rachael Taylor

Culture lovers in London will have a rare chance to step into the creative mind of Jacques Cartier and his associates in a new exhibition curated by renowned British architect Norman Foster that opened at The Design Museum last week.

Cartier in Motion

The exhibition is titled Cartier In Motion and follows a central theme of travel. Indeed, step inside the darkly lit room and you find yourself in 20th century Paris as you navigate around a replica of the aircraft owned by French pilot Alberto Santos-Dumont and a gleaming Eiffel Tower in miniature (Cartier was friends with both Santos-Dumont and Gustav Eiffel).

Alberto Santos Dumont at his house

Alberto Santos Dumont on a plane

It is not just physical travel that Foster, a keen fan of aviation, concerns himself with for this exhibition, but also the metaphoric travelling of those times from the past into the then modern age, and also the evolution of the Cartier brand and craftsmanship over the past century.

Tread further along the Cartier-red carpet and discover all sorts of intriguing objet on these themes: a glittering diamond tiara from 1902 once owned by the Countess of Essex; a table and chairs with extra-long legs to make diners feel as though they are high up in the sky (built by Foster to mimic Santos-Dumont’s home furniture); a 19th century watchmaker’s workbench complete with a full set of tools.

You can explore the history and variations of Cartier’s most iconic timepieces and its intricate clocks, mostly borrowed from the Cartier Collection (a vast treasure trove bought back by the brand from auctions and private sellers across the globe). These were made available to Foster (Cartier regularly hosts exhibitions around the globe and works on each with a local guest curator) and he has put on view some wonderful original examples of the Santos, Tonneau and Tortue wristwatches from the early 20th century, as well as 1960s innovations the Crash, Panthère de Cartier and Ballon Bleu de Cartier.

The history of the iconic Cartier Tank watch collection is celebrated in detail within Cartier In Motion, with a selection of timepieces accompanied by some razor-sharp quotes from famous fans. Artist Andy Warhol is quoted on the wall in stark black and white saying: “I don’t wear a Tank to tell time. In fact, I never wind it – I wear it because it’s the watch to wear.”

Andy Warhol wearing his Cartier watch

Santos watch by Cartier

With 170 exhibits packed into one cozy room, Cartier in Motion offers a wonderful escape for an hour, not just for watch aficionados but all appreciators of design and history.

See Cartier in Motion at The Design Museum, 224-238 Kensington High Street, London, free of charge, until July 28, 2017